Round 4: TITANS vs COWBOYS

[teke]

Titans defence has been quite good actually. The first up contact is top notch

[Mt Smart]

Thank goodness for the drop goal

Fifth on the NRL ladder , excellent season start in any mans lingo , that hopefully will kick the team up a few gears.

[Titanic]

I'll take that win too because we certainly outplayed the Cows in the second dig but we have some real poor efforts in there, especially Harrison and Gordon. Tighe was excellent tonight, Mead solid and Don looks better each game. I won't mention the forwards because it was their type of game but Carter is starting to show some of Cartwrights poor habits and I hope he just plays his own game in future because he really looks the goods.

[lonegull]

Take that win although once again ugly a win is a win, our first contact I the tackles was evident we seemed to be hurting them and really bending them back on first contact. Oh well top of the table

[gotitans101_]

It's the sort of win we've been used to for the past 3 years. Ugly.

[TITAN PETE]

Good win excellent all round game from Tighe & Carter is Definatly a keeper just needs a bit more educating , if Meads the answer to our fullback problems we are in trouble , letting the ball bounce twice off the kick off isn't good enough , thought Sezar,Taylor,Taka & Bails all had big games too...

Top 4 who'd a thought..

[DIEHARD]

Gonna have to watch a replay of this. I missed the 2nd half. Good to get the win but the way we got it sounds worrying. Defence seems to be our saving grace.

[DIEHARD]

GRITTY TITANS OUTLAST COWBOYS

A SUPERB kicking performance from five-eighth Aidan Sezer gave the Titans a gritty 13-12 win over a fumbling Cowboys team.

Sezer’s radar left boot laid on both his team’s tries, as well as two goals from as many attempts and a clever field goal to prove the difference between two struggling teams.

The Cowboys were their own worst enemies, putting in a sloppy performance and showing little discipline with the football.

A very scrappy first half produced just one try – and it was a controversial one at that.

A bomb from Cowboys halfback Robert Lui created problems for the Titans defence and North Queensland centre Brent Tate jumped high, getting his hand to the ball.

Johnathan Thurston was on the spot to pick up the loose ball and score, despite howls of protests from the Titans players and crowd.

Both the on field referee and video ref ruled the ball had gone back off Tate’s hand… but it looked more like a knock-on.

Thurston added the extras for an early 6-0 lead.

The Titans should have levelled when winger Anthony Don crossed after a smart backline move in the 14th minute.

But the video referee correctly ruled that Titans forward Dave Taylor had taken out a defender in the lead-up play.

The Titans had another great chance late in the half when speedy halfback Albert Kelly swooped on a loose ball, kicking it ahead.

But Cowboys fullback Michael Morgan showed real pace to beat Kelly to the ball, defusing a dangerous situation.

The tide began to turn immediately after the resumption, when Morgan dropped a perfectly-placed Sezer bomb.

Titans winger Kevin Gordon was on hand to score his first try of the season, with Sezer’s conversion levelling scores at 6-all.

The Titans then hit the front when Sezer again forced an error in the 66th minute, this time from a grubber kick.

Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt fumbled the wet ball, presenting Titans centre Brad Tighe with the simplest of tries.

Sezer then added a field goal to give the Titans a handy seven-point break.

http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/gritty...tlast-cowboys/

[DIEHARD]

Snake steals show as Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys debry lacks venom

THE world’s most venomous snake slithered along the sidelines of Robina on Monday night but even it headed for the exits after 20 minutes of a dour Gold Coast victory.

The Titans 13-12 home victory over North Queensland was so devoid of entertainment a one-metre Brown Snake was the lone highlight.

The snake in the south eastern corner sent patrons scurrying early in the game but thankfully there were plenty of other seats in the barely-attended stadium.

A 3ft brown snake has shocked crowds and commentators at the Titans and Cowboys clash at Cbus Super Stadium tonight.

In fact some suggested the Titans counted the snake among the 9,482-strong crowd for an admittedly unattractive Monday night game.

That attendance figure is a record low for the Titans at Robina but the heart this battling team shows each week deserves greater support.

The now-infamous snake had a Twitter account five minutes after its Cbus Super Stadium debut but found refuge in a drain pipe soon after.

Titans captain Greg Bird was disturbed to hear their was a snake on the field when told during the post-match press conference.

“An actual snake? I had no idea,” Bird said.

“I wish it bit me, it would have given me an excuse to lay down and have a rest.”

No one could blame the snake from averting its eyes from the rain-soaked match.

Although the clash was tight throughout, the close scoreline was due to the two teams being as bad as each other.

There were 14 errors in the first half alone and the game ended in a total of 33 as well as 16 penalties.

There has been some brilliant games of rugby league this season but the Titans have not featured in any.

However, they are among the competition’s most gutsy teams and have the best scramble defence in the NRL.

Former Kangaroos half Greg Alexander said in Fox Sports commentary that, “These two sides look like they haven’t played together before”.

Despite his accurate assessment, the Titans are somehow in the top four with just one loss this season.

Their recovery from a round two spanking at the hands of Wests Tigers has been remarkable.

Once their attack resembles any sort of shape, they will be a dangerous side.

The Cowboys are playing without confidence this season, a year in which they are one from four.

On Monday night, they scored the opening try for the first time this season when Johnathan Thurston picked up the scraps from a Robert Lui bomb.

Another error resulted in a try but this time it was Titans’ winger Kevin Gordon getting the rewards when the Cowboys failed to defuse an attacking kick.

Then the arm wrestle to end all arm wrestles occurred for 25 minutes, until another mistake saw Brad Tighe dive on the crumbs in-goal.

An Aidan Sezer field goal in the Titans’ next set effectively iced the game.

Bird said the Titans’ two halves in Sezer and Albert Kelly were crucial to their ugly win.

“Albert is the man who can turn the game on its head and Sezer is the one who wants to complete our sets, get into the end zone, kick to the corners and grind the game away and that’s what we did tonight,” Bird said.

“We have been winning games pure on hard-work and determination.

“I know you always say you want to build your season on defence but it is no secret our attack has been pretty scrappy.”

On the night Alex McKinnon was diagnosed as quadriplegic, there were two spear tackles.

Nate Myles and Paul Carter both put Cowboys players in dangerous positions but neither were placed on report while Ashley Harrison could face scrutiny for a shoulder charge.

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/local-sport/

[teke]

Good win excellent all round game from Tighe & Carter is Definatly a keeper just needs a bit more educating , if Meads the answer to our fullback problems we are in trouble , letting the ball bounce twice off the kick off isn't good enough , thought Sezar,Taylor,Taka & Bails all had big games too...

Top 4 who'd a thought..

Dont u worry zilly will be back soon enough. The number one jumper gets retired when he ain't playing.

Defence was pretty good...that's all that can be said.

Mini zero mistakes

[DavidBouveng]

Dont u worry zilly will be back soon enough. The number one jumper gets retired when he ain't playing.

Defence was pretty good...that's all that can be said.

Mini zero mistakes

i thought this too. Did Carty name Zillman even though the whole world knew he was ut for 3-4 weeks just so no one got his jersey. wouldnt put it past them.

[karnage]

That was not an inspiring game of football.

The official crowd was posted at less than 10k. I go to every single game and I don't recall a crowd figure lower than the 9,500 they posted tonight. Can anybody recall a lower total??

At one point in the second half we put together one of those terrible attackign sets where we just run the ball up one out or pass it to a half who turns it back in this guy behind me yelled out 'how about we sack Cartwright?!' and all these people around me stood up and cheered. It was a pretty amazing moment. The game was in the balance and I wasn't the only one thinking that winning isn't everything here - we just want a team that can play some decent football. We were honest and tough tonight but we definitely were not good.

So, we are 3-1 which is great, but we already have a NEGATIVE for and against and our next two games are away to the Storm and then at home to the in form Broncos who we simply never, ever beat.

I just can't get excited...

[teke]

Haha I don't know, seems quite strange.

[Mexican titan]

I'll take that win too because we certainly outplayed the Cows in the second dig but we have some real poor efforts in there, especially Harrison and Gordon. Tighe was excellent tonight, Mead solid and Don looks better each game. I won't mention the forwards because it was their type of game but Carter is starting to show some of Cartwrights poor habits and I hope he just plays his own game in future because he really looks the goods.

Just got home due to a problem with the trains (problem north of Helensvale) but I think you have nailed it Titanic. Harrison is on borrowed time and Gordon is going very badly at the moment. Only good luck and other defenders saved some tries down his side.
Mead was shaky at times but will get better as he adjusts to fullback. The people around me were surprised when Fox interviewed Sezer as I assume Man of the match. He went well but we all thought Bird was everywhere when it mattered.

[teke]

That was not an inspiring game of football.

The official crowd was posted at less than 10k. I go to every single game and I don't recall a crowd figure lower than the 9,500 they posted tonight. Can anybody recall a lower total??

At one point in the second half we put together one of those terrible attackign sets where we just run the ball up one out or pass it to a half who turns it back in this guy behind me yelled out 'how about we sack Cartwright?!' and all these people around me stood up and cheered. It was a pretty amazing moment. The game was in the balance and I wasn't the only one thinking that winning isn't everything here - we just want a team that can play some decent football. We were honest and tough tonight but we definitely were not good.

So, we are 3-1 which is great, but we already have a NEGATIVE for and against and our next two games are away to the Storm and then at home to the in form Broncos who we simply never, ever beat.

I just can't get excited...

be honest it was u that stood up and yelled out #sackcarty ha!